Ace Combat 3: Erich's Tale
by Sadhana The Prince
Summary: You liked Rena's Tale. So how about we lighten things up with another tale? It's time we learn a little bit about the main man himself and how this star-loving peacemaker came to be.


Ace Combat 3: Erich's Tale

or

The Star-Loving Peacemaker: Erich Jaeger

"Being of a mixed Osean-Usean with Belkan origins, I come from a long line of fighter pilots. My predecessor saw action in the Osean War in the past century. My great-grandfather saw action in the Belkan War. And my father, a former pilot of the Osean Air Defense Force and of mixed Osean-Belkan heritage, saw action in the Lighthouse War. I didn't see him often at an early age, but when he did return from his tour of duty, I remember him telling me stories of his battles in the skies. One of his stories he mentioned a particular "hotshot" ace, who would attack enemy fighters immediately on sight. "It's like he's an actual hair-trigger!" like my father said.

Nevertheless, his stories have inspired me to take the same path as my forefathers did. However, the skies were not my passion. Wanna know my real passion? Stars. Can you imagine being the first in my family to soar through the stars? My father was ecstatic when I said those words.

Sure, I was loved by my family, and I hate to admit that I was a spoiled brat, but my love of soaring through the stars never faltered. I went to Oxform University at the same time training to become an air force pilot at the Oxform Air Force Base. While I learned how to pilot aircraft using throttle and a joystick, by the second year onwards, I and my fellow cadet pilots were introduced to the new COFFIN-equipped aircraft that you can control using your mind. This would become the norm as older and vintage aircraft would be retired and replaced. Seeing these unused planes saddened me a little, even though I was trained to pilot them for a year.

The more I flew, the better I became. During free time, I would often take my training plane, pitch upward, and fly at full speed directly high into the stratosphere. Trying to reach the stars. Unfortunately, the high-G's resulting in blackouts, along with aircraft's specifications, prevented me from touching the boundary between sky and space. This also did a number with my internal body clock, which would develop into fatigue later on.

Eventually, I would graduate with an International Political Science degree, with a minor in engineering. But at the same time, I also did online courses and earned myself a computer science degree. I made it to the dean's list, and I was one of the candidates for USEA's Space Force branch. But I ended up joining the Universal Peace Enforcement Organization instead thanks to the recommendation of my parents. My father put a good word for me to be a part of UPEO and I see the organization more of a stepping stone than of an obstacle, due to my part of preserving the peace.

Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot to mention that. Because this world has suffered through various conflicts before and after the Ulysses Impact, I thought I would contribute by bringing peace and preventing further conflict. So in a way, that part of me became a part of my passion. I took my father's advice and I was brought to UPEO, where they immediately transferred me to the newly established Special Armed Response Force as its first official member.

During my time there, I would remember sleeping in-between my "peacekeeping" sorties, while saving a little time for me to eat at the cafeteria and make calls to my parents when off-duty. But then, I would encounter two new pilots to be a part of the unit: the mysterious and quiet Rena Hirose, and the upbeat but valiant Fiona Chris Fitzgerald. I wasn't so sure about Rena, but Fiona was more open to me than her. She would often tease about my sleeping habits, calling me "Snoozebrain", but I gotta tell ya. She's a real team player. Both of us would later know about Rena and her past. Despite the fact that she was a child prodigy and a pretty good pilot than the both of us, we were surprised at the fact that she had a lonely childhood. Me and Fiona, or "Fi" as she liked to be called, after seeing Rena's date of birth, planned a birthday party for her in her room. She was crying with joy and she acknowledged me and Fiona as comrades as well as friends.

Every time I sortie, I look up into the sky. Waiting for the day I would touch the stars. And I still do to this day."

An applause is made by Fiona, Rena, and Alvin (Chopper), who react to this story. Alvin jeers, "Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Emmy!" Rena says, "That was a really great story." Fiona replies with, "I didn't know you like outer space so much. And now we finally know the reason behind your constant fatigue." Erich sarcastically says "Yeah yeah." Just then, an alarm is heard, with a loudspeaker ordering a scramble. Fiona, Rena, and Alvin zoomed, while Erich briefly stops and looks at his family picture. He says, "Love you dad." before heading off on his next challenging mission.

The End

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Author Notes:

Erich's backstory in this is based on the Photosphere interview, official bio, and a little bit of something from my headcanon. After playing Ace Combat 7, I want to incorporate Erich's father, Jaeger early in this fanfic.

I do not own Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, and Ace Combat 7. They belong to Bandai Namco and Project Aces.

Challenge:

Imagine trying to read this with Brad Swaile's voice.


End file.
